ISTJ – Is this me?

I started associating with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (“MBTI“) a few years back and becoming pretty interested in the subject. This is because I always want to know me better. How many of you are aware that you have different identities within yourself, and depending on the environment settings, or the task you are executing, you will be carrying with you a particular identity.

To give you an example, on Sunday morning, my identity is a father of my three kids and if there is no commitment in the morning and if I am in town, I will take my kids out for breakfast and exercises. From my kids’ perspective, I believe this is a weekly event they are looking for. My son, Sam, who is aged 11 is also experiencing puberty and will soon be a teenager. If I am hesitant and do not do my part as a father properly, he will soon be out of reach and have his own circle of life.

Is it normal to carry with us different identities? My answer is “yes, of course”. So, you can ask yourself this question “Who are you?” and if you make an effort to ask this question properly, you will be surprised that you too have multiple identities. Having this awareness is a good thing because in life if you are pursuing your goals, you have to know whether these goals are congruent with your belief and identity. This will in turn allow you to focus on the goals and move forward, true or true?

As part of my pre-course work for my March MBTI Steps I and II Certification Program, I am required to complete MBTI Step II (Form Q)™ and MBTI Complete™ Assessment. Before the assessment, I kind of know that my MBTI Profile is an ISTJ and in the US, ISTJs represent approximately 12% of the US population.

A snapshot of the profile of an ISTJ is as follows:

“Quiet, serious people who succeed by being thorough and dependable. Logical, practical and realistic. Take responsibilities seriously and often go beyond the call of duty. Enjoy ordering and structuring environment and work. Traditions and loyalty are important. Finally, ISTJs value home, family, financial security and health.”

So, after completing the assessment, it confirms that I am an ISTJ. In particular, I have a very clear I and J, a clear T and a slightly preferred S. Those who know MBTI should understand what I am talking about.

It is no wonder I did law and accounting in the university and post-graduate courses. It is no wonder I choose to pick up taxation as my career. It is no wonder that I stand by equality and justice and stay objective when analyzing an issue and give less consideration to the people who may be affected by my decision. It is also no wonder I like to “analyze” problems and “deduce” how such problems can be resolved logically and objectively.

In addition, my diary has a list of my scheduled events all the way till end of the year and I have to update my calendar almost everyday to make sure that I do not miss out any important appointments or deadlines. In addition, I hate people giving me short notices to ask me to do certain things because my fear is that if I accede to their request, it may in turn interrupt my entire schedule, and thereby causing inconvenience to the others.

It is a very interesting discovery of myself through this MBTI journey. In my own trading world, as an ISTJ I like to do my own trading without sharing much with other fellow traders because I hold a strong belief with the fact that what I am doing will benefit me. At the same time, my trading styles require me to plan for the trade with clearly defined rules and conditions for entry and exit and I will do certain trades on certain days because I have laid down the rules for my different trading systems. As an options instructor, I don’t just talk to my students about concepts and unproven claims. Instead, I show facts and information to prove my points. I can provide logical steps of my thought process pretty easily.

Does it sound interesting to you? Do you know your MBTI profile which will assist you in your journey of self-discovery? If the answer is “no”, do you know how to find out your MBTI profile? Stay tuned for more information about the resources you can get from my blog.